1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording paper cassette for feeding recording paper to a facsimile apparatus, a copier, etc., and in particular relates to a recording paper cassette made integral with the apparatus, which is able to accommodate recording paper of different sizes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, recording paper cassettes which are used for a facsimile apparatus, a copier, etc., (hereinafter merely called "equipment") are roughly classified into two types, ones of which are exclusive paper feeding cassettes, the sizes of which are different according to the sizes of recording paper to be accommodated, and in which the shapes of the recording paper regulating plate for registering the leading edges of recording paper are different, and the others of which are universal recording paper cassettes which are able to accommodate and feed paper corresponding to various sizes of recording paper.
In line with advancement of the recent down-sizing and personal utilization of facsimile apparatus, etc., more universal recording paper cassettes which are capable of accommodating various sizes of recording paper in a form of a single unit as in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3500025 of 1992 have been utilized than such a type in which a plurality of exclusive recording paper cassettes are required. However, with such a conventional construction described above, since many components are used, the entire equipment is made large-sized, thereby causing the production cost to be increased.
Therefore, an integral type of universal recording paper cassette, which is incorporated in equipment, like a printer, etc. used in a personal computer has been proposed as one of the embodiments of universal recording paper cassette. In this type, a member for regulating the width direction of recording paper is provided, whereby only the width direction of each size of recording paper is regulated to cause recording paper to be adequately fed to the recording section.
On the other hand, as for the lengthwise direction of recording paper, the recording paper is registered by an action of gravity by inclining the entirety of the paper feeding section. Therefore, no special regulating member, which regulates the rear end of recording paper, is provided. With such an integral paper feeding cassette described above, there are some advantages, by which the number of components can be further decreased in comparison with a detachable type universal recording paper cassette, and the production cost of equipment can be also decreased.
However, there is still a problem that since the paper feeding section is caused to greatly protrude diagonally upward, it is difficult to reduce the size of the entire equipment and there causes a limitation as for the places of installing equipment. Especially, as far as it is constructed that the action of gravity is utilized by inclining the entire paper feeding section, the paper feeding section is unavoidably installed upward of equipment. It is necessary to secure a considerably large space upward of the equipment.
The invention was developed in view of these problematic points, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a recording paper cassette which is able to decrease its installation space and is able to easily replace and supply recording paper.